


Entranced by you

by NiamhofTirnanOg



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Nothing explicit, Safewords, hypno - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:15:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29800737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiamhofTirnanOg/pseuds/NiamhofTirnanOg
Summary: Darnold wants to make a Hypno flavoured soda, but, it’s hard to make a flavour out of something you haven’t experienced. Luckily, Tommy’s here to help.
Relationships: Tommy Coolatta/Darnold
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	Entranced by you

“A-are you ready Doctor Pepper?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be Dr Coolatta.”

Darnold replied evenly, smile a bit forced on his face. It wasn’t that he was  _ nervous  _ exactly, no no, why, he trusted Tommy completely! 

Still, hypnotism was more than a bit… out there.

He was still half convinced it wouldn’t work to be totally honest, like, come on, hypno? Trances? It just didn’t sound  _ scientific _ .

He was a rational man after all, if he couldn’t see the proof it existed, he couldn’t believe it.

Drumming his fingers against his thigh, he glanced aside to the tick, tick, ticking clock on the wall, watching the janky mechanisms of the hands move bit by bit. 

“D-dr Pepper?”

He snapped to attention, hands smoothing at his pants.

“Y-yes? Sorry, got a bit, distracted.”

Tommy just smiled brightly, reaching a hand out to pat his shoulder.

“That’s ok Dr Pepper, it’s ok to be nervous! I’m a professional at this, s-so, you don’t gotta worry!”

His hand felt heavy and warm, and Darnold relaxed, savouring this brief physical contact from his dear colleague.

It would be improper to act on it of course, but, he did often think about how nice it would be to hold hands, perhaps even share a kiss with Tommy. 

His thoughts were getting away from him. This was just supposed to be a short experiment, after all, if he wanted to replicate the feeling of a trance in soda, he’d have to get hypnotised himself for first hand experience, otherwise, how else would he know he got the formula just right if he didn’t know what being hypnotised  _ felt  _ like?

Though, he had been surprised when Tommy had volunteered to show him. Somehow it didn’t seem to fit the man, who would have thought he was supposedly some kind of hypnotist? Perhaps that was just Darnolds own bias though, after all, Tommy was intelligent, smart,. 

“A-alright, I’m gonna get started now, are you comfortable?”

He nodded, not trusting his voice not to waver, and Tommy beamed brilliantly down at him, golden brown eyes sparkling, almost… glowing?

“O-okay! Now, I want you to watch me carefully now, keep those eyes open for me, and listen to what I say.”

His voice had dropped a few octaves to something a bit more soothing and quiet than his usual manner of speaking, and Darnold relaxed from just that alone.

“N-now, I want you to relax, take a nice big breath- y-yeah! That’s it, just like that, and- and I want you to keep breathing deeply, just like that, again and again, nice and even, slow and steady, l-like molasses off a spoon!”

Darnolds lips quirked upwards at the expression, but he followed his directions. So far, this wasn’t too strange. He’d half expected Tommy to bust out a pocket watch, or some kind of spinning wheel with a big spiral or some kind of nonsense like that. This seemed pretty, well, ordinary so far. 

More like some kind of mindfulness exercise than anything else. He still wasn’t convinced it would do anything more than relax him though.

“O-ok, now you’re as calm as a blue summer morning, I want you to focus on me, and  _ just _ me, can you do that for me?”

Darnold nodded, watching as Tommy raised his hand.

“Perfect, n-now, I want you to follow my finger, keep your eyes on it as I move it around and a-around and around-“

Extending his index finger, Tommy began to move it side to side in a slow swaying motion. It was soothing to watch, and Darnold sunk back into his seat as he followed it with his gaze.

“It feels nice to watch d-doesn’t it? Not having to worry about a thing but following my movements, having s-something so so so simple to focus on.”

“Hmm”

Darnold let out a light hum in agreement. He still didn’t see how this was supposed to work. He was just watching Tommy wave his finger around, how was that supposed to do anything?

“You must have so many thoughts swirling in that h-head of yours. So busy, so loud. Turning around and around in your head, going in circles. You’d like it to be quiet, r-right? You’d like me to clear it up for you, make your mind nice and clean, so empty, so hollow.”

Well, he supposed that would be nice. He had a habit of overthinking, make a change to not be worrying about this and that. 

Tommy smiled as if he could hear Darnold agreeing internally, and continued. 

“Imagine my finger is l-like… the cone for cotton candy, as I swirl it around, it gathers up more of your thoughts from your mind, tugging and pulling them away, leaving you so mindless, so calm and empty. All those sticky thoughts will dissolve away under the s-soothing rain of my words, leaving you with nothing, ready to be filled up with whatever I tell you. 

As he continued to follow Tommy’s movements, he began to sway a little, from side to side, copying the pattern in which Tommy was moving his finger. 

“I-if you start to feel sleepy, it’s ok to close your eyes, just as long as you continue to listen,continue to let yourself succumb to my voice.” 

It was strange, he  _ was _ starting to feel rather tired- but, that was just because he was calm, and comfortable, right? Nothing to do with being hypnotised, why, it’s not like he  _ had _ to close his eyes or anything but... it would feel nice. What was the harm in letting his eyes close for just a few moments? Just a few seconds, that was all. He could open them back up if he needed, he just didn’t want to, not yet.

Tommy grinned as he watched him sink deeper. So lovely and pliant, following his suggestion so sweetly. For someone who didn’t seem all convinced, he sure did respond quite well to this, and he hadn’t even had to use his powers on him.

It was amazing to watch humans become so soft and malleable under the power of suggestion and their own minds, becoming so, so obedient, his sweet little playthings. 

… he actually hadn’t explained what  _ specific _ sort of hypnosis he dabbled in, but, well, Darnold didn’t exactly ask, and it's not exactly something you’d share with work colleagues, right? It wasn’t professional to discuss your sex life at work.

It’s not like it mattered though, right? He was just helping a coworker- a friend perhaps, and all he was going to do was send him into a nice, relaxing trance, then bring him back out again, just to show him what it felt like.

Simple! But, things were rarely so. 

For one- it was so hard to ignore his feelings for the man when he looked so handsome, so pretty all relaxed just for him.

It was ok to admire him, wasn’t it?

He did look so cute right now, still gently swaying from side to side, struggling to keep his eyes open, eyes drooping and blinking rapidly in an attempt to keep them open. So silly.

It was pointless to resist.

He must still have some doubts huh?

Tommy would just have to erase them.

“Y-you've done  _ so _ well for me, following my directions, keeping your eyes on me. I bet they feel so, so so tired now, right? You don’t have to keep looking, y-you can let your sleepy eyes rest. 

G-go on, you’ve been so good. You’ve been working so hard, don’t you deserve a break?”

Tommy reached forward to cup his cheek, rubbing his thumb gently against his skin, and Darnold leaned into his palm.

“Your eyes must feel so heavy, must be so hard to keep them open.”

“Yeah…”

Darnold murmured softly in reply and it was  _ so _ cute, it almost made Tommy giggle. But then he did something that surprised him, reaching a hand up to place over his own. 

It shouldn’t have flustered him, really, it shouldn’t! But it did, and his cheeks flushed.

Silly for him to be so affected. Darnold didn’t mean anything by the gesture. 

He needed to focus. He had a responsibility to Darnold, to guide him through this experience comfortably and safely. 

It was of the utmost importance he took good care of him. To not get distracted by unimportant things. The only thing that mattered right now was Darnold. 

His comfort was the utmost priority. 

He’d of course gone over a few things with him before getting started. Letting him know what would happen during the process, asking permission to touch him on the hand, neck, back face and so on if he needed to. Darnold hadn’t been too sure why that would be necessary but Tommy was happy to inform him of the types of hypnotic induction, as well as the fact he might need to reposition him if he was at risk of falling, correct his posture, and the potential need to provide a grounding sensation if Darnold required it. 

He’d been surprised at how much went into it.

“This is a whole lot more complicated than a thought it’d be Dr Coolatta.”

“O-only for me, you won’t have to worry about a thing!”

He had looked at him then, a look of doubt clear on his face. Tommy had oh  _ so _ looked forward to seeing that expression change to something softer, more pliant.

He could never resist a challenge.

Ah but, turns out, it hadn’t taken all that much at all, had it?

For someone who had been so  _ adamant _ about hypnosis being fake, he’d been so so  _ easy _ to put into trance.

A part of him must have secretly believed,  _ wanted _ to be proven wrong. 

Tommy was so glad he had trusted him enough to give this a shot. I meant a lot, it really, really did.

“By n-now, your mind must be so, so, so quiet. Your head is as e-empty, as- as a chocolate egg. A-and, just like chocolate, your mind is soft and easy to mold to my- to my liking.”

Darnold nodded slightly, head starting to droop forwards, which Tommy gently corrected, moving his head back to lie against the headrest of his chair. Didn't want him straining his neck.

“O-of course, I can’t make you do anything you don’t truly want. If at any time I ask you to do something you don’t like you’ll automatically tell me so with the safe words I give you, if you need to stop, you’ll tell me so with the word “coke”, and any and all effects I’ve put on you will cease at once.

If you h-have any concerns and want to slow, y-you’ll use the word “Fanta”, and any effects will temporarily cease until we discuss any problems you may have with the order, and once they’re resolved, you’ll skip back into trance. If what I’m telling you to do makes you happy and pleased, you’ll use the word “Sprite” when I ask, and carry out whatever the order is to the best of your abilities. Your safe words are a part of your subconscious mind, no matter how deep you go, you will always have access to these words and be able to use them at any time. No suggestion could ever prevent you from using them, they are as natural to you as breathing, a part of you, to keep you safe.”

This might not have been a typical scene, but, no matter what, establishing consent was  _ always _ important. It did feel a little off to use safe words in a non sexual context, but, well, they were a good method of ensuring safety, and a way for Darnold to tap out if he needed to. He probably wouldn’t even need it, after all, this was just for relaxation purposes, nothing too fancy.

“There is nothing that can prevent you from using these words at any time, you are always free to s-stop if you need to. Coke for stop, Fanta for slow, Sprite for go. Can you repeat it back to me?”

He let out a soft sigh, voice low.

“Coke for stop… Fanta for slow… Sprite for go.”

“G-good boy-“

Ah, the words slipped out before he could stop them, hand darting to his mouth as if to try and contain them, but, too late. Darnold just smiled happily in response, letting out a soft hum. Tommy  _ really  _ needed to reel himself in. This wasn’t a sex thing, just- just a favour. Don’t make it weird.

He blushed, and tried to move on. 

“I-if there is ever a time you can’t use your words, you can tap on a nearby object, or me, once to stop, twice to slow, and three times for go. D-do you understand? Can you repeat it back to me?”

“Ah- once for stop… two for slow… three for go.”

“That’s it. You’re doing so well for me.”

“Am… Am I a good boy?”

Tommy nearly choked.

What the shit. Was Darnold messing with him? He couldn’t be, right? But that face didn’t seem to hold any malicious intent, so relaxed and calm, the twitching of his eyes under his eyelids spoke to how deep in trance he was.

“Y-yes- uh, you’re a very good boy.”

Had Tommy accidentally planted that idea in his head with his slip up? Oh fuck. He must have, there was no other explanation. What a rookie mistake. The thought of Darnold just liking praise never crossed his mind. 

“N-now that we’ve established and put safety p-procedures in place, I can lead you even d-deeper into trance. Your body already feels so heavy, so tired. C-could you try lifting your arms for me?”

Darnold took a few seconds to respond, sluggishly attempting to raise his arms in the air with jerky movements. It was cute, watching him struggle. 

“As you can tell, it’s  _ so _ hard to keep them lifted, so heavy, so tired, you don’t want to move. As you keep trying, you feel more and more heavy, more and more tired, so heavy, so tired, so so sleepy, but, you’ll keep them there, until I tell you otherwise, can you do that for me?”

“Yes Tommy…”

Oh, uh, when did he switch from Dr Coolatta to using Tommy? He hadn’t told him to do that. Tommy shouldn’t be worrying over it. Darnold felt relaxed, and, obviously he must have just adjusted to using more casual…  _ friendly  _ terms because, well, it must have felt right to him. That’s all. No need to read that deep into it. He was getting so worked up over such small things.

Darnold was struck trying to hold his arms up, struggling a little bit. Tommy should help him out.

“Your arms must feel so, so heavy, mustn’t they? B-but, here’s a secret. When I tell you to, your arms will suddenly begin to feel lighter, and lighter, a-as if they’ve been p-pumped full of hot air. Can you- can you feel them getting lighter?

Feels almost like they’re floating up, and up up towards the sky, light and airy, like- like a helium balloon.”

Darnolds trembling arms began to relax slightly as he held them up.

“Excellent. N-now, you can let the air in your arms deflate, and they will begin to sink back, down, down, slowly, lowering them onto your lap. 

S-slowly, so so slowly, letting them fall at a steady, even pace.”

Tommy hovered his hands under Darnolds arms as they began to fall in short twitchy movements.

It was a good way to tell if someone was truly under trance or not. Someone who was “awake” would raise and lower their arms in fluid, smooth movements, whereas someone in trance would either struggle a little, or even be relaxed enough to be unable to move them whatsoever. Not that such a test would truly convince someone adamantly opposed to the entire concept of hypnosis.

There were a  _ lot _ of misconceptions.

Darnold had had a few of them.

“So- it’s not, like, magic then?”

Tommy had just laughed over his soda, doing his best to explain.

“It’s- it’s nothing like that, it’s um, a trance is something everyone can go into, l-like, that stage between being awake and asleep, o-or when you zone out on the bus and time seems to just fly by without you realising!”

“So… could… could I be hypnotised?”

“O-of course! As long as you’re willing,, anyone can be. S-so um, was it something you w-would want to try? I could suggest a few trustworthy hypnotists!”

“I- I uh, well- I have a few more questions actually…”

Tommy couldn’t remember exactly how their casual lunch time chat had turned to the topic of hypnosis in the first place. Perhaps Darnold had mentioned a new flavour he was trying to replicate for his sodas, or perhaps it had just been idle curiosity, a simple musing that had become something more. 

He had been quite clear he was firmly on the sceptic side of things, and Tommy? Well, of course he had to correct his misunderstandings.

“So- could I be forced to do something I didn’t want to?”

That question had come up of course, a pretty common concern from those new to the scene.

“O-oh! No, not at all! In fact, it’s pretty much impossible. J-just because you’re in a trance doesn’t mean your subconscious stops working to keep you safe. T-the human mind is a truly fascinating thing! If I were to suggest something that truly went against your desires, or was physically dangerous, you wouldn’t carry it out.”

He hadn’t mentioned how such a thing could lead to an adverse emotional reaction in the hypnotee and cause them to come out of trance. Didn't want to scare him off the concept right out the gate. That’d be like telling someone interested in scuba diving all the nasty ways it could go wrong. 

“A-anyway, hypnotism is supposed to be fun! No hypnotist worth their soda would  _ e-ever _ do something that wasn’t pre agreed upon.”

Tommy had paused, taking a long sip of his drink through his curly straw, and Darnold drummed his fingers against the table, deep in thought. 

“So… you have… experience then? As a hypnotist?”

“O-oh! Lots!”

He sipped again, not wanting to elaborate.

“Then… could  _ you  _ hypnotise me?” 

Tommy choked on his straw.

“P-pardon?”

“Uh, well, you know, if I’m going to try it out, then, well, I’d rather it be with someone I trusted, and, I can’t think of a person I trust more than I do you.” 

The man had smiled then, so honest and genuine, it damn near made his heart leap out of his chest. 

He had it bad.

Of course, the whole experiment wasn’t without caveats.

Darnold had wanted some sort of “proof” that he had been under trance, something undeniable that would prove for a fact he had been influenceable.

“Ah- so, what if, hear me out, you ask me to share a secret with you?”

“A-a secret?”

Tommy frowned. 

“That’s- I- I don’t think that’s a good idea Dr Pepper. It’s- I already told you, I can’t make you do something you don’t want to do.”

It just  _ screamed _ bad idea to be honest. What if Darnold blurted out something embarrassing that 

He’d regret later? It wouldn’t be right.

“Ah- well, I know, but uh, maybe, maybe ask for a secret I’m comfortable sharing? Something like that?”

That seemed to sort of defeat the purpose then,what would be the point of it? But… well, he had been insistent on wanting “proof”, and Tommy had eventually agreed. He was just too fond of the man to say no to him. 

  
  


Now Darnold sat patiently, awaiting his next instructions, and, well, it was probably about time he did as he had been asked.

“N-now, before we go any further, I need to know how you’re feeling. Do you remember your safe words?”

Darnold nodded slowly and deliberately.

“Good. Then, I’d like to know, which one are you feeling? Remember, if at any time you would like to take a break, or stop, you have the power to do so with your safe words.”

“Sprite for go…”

Ah, that was good. He was glad Darnold was feeling safe so far. He just hoped this next suggestion wouldn’t change that.

Sure, Darnold had agreed on it beforehand, but, such an open question would have unpredictable results. Tommy didn’t like that. Still. Darnold had insisted.

“Alright then. I’m going to ask you a question now, that I’d like you to answer, but, if it causes you any distress, or it’s not something you wish to share, you are free to use your safe words instead. Do you understand?”

He waited for an affirmation before continuing.

“O-ok. Darnold, please tell me a secret that you feel safe sharing with me.”

Darnold took a few tense seconds to answer.

“Ah… a secret… I… Really want to kiss you Tommy. I like you a lot.”

What.

Did he hear that right? What?! 

Darnold… liked him back?!

That couldn’t be right! He must have planted a suggestion somehow o-or, misunderstood what he meant! Maybe he meant it in a friends sorta way? He was reading too deeply into it, a kiss could just mean, a- a kiss on the cheek!

“I love you Tommy.”

Darnolds voice was breathy, a dreamy smile on his face.

“I’ve been wanting to tell you so for a while.”

Oh.  _ Oh. _

How was he supposed to respond to that?!

“I- uh, um, t-thank you?”

Nailed it.

What exactly was he supposed to do?

Panic, apparently.

He flapped his hands nervously, he- he didn’t know that  _ this _ was gonna happen!

“U-uh, that’s- that’s uh. Yep.”

This was a load of shit. 

How was he supposed to concentrate with  _ that _ bombshell dropped on him?! 

Damnit.

Well, he had done as Darnold had asked. This was “proof” that he was in a trance and suggestible, right? So… he should start taking him out of it.

Even though the thought of how he might react when he “woke up” made his stomach twist in knots.

“Uh- uh- so. It’s about time to start waking up.

In a moment, I‘ll g-give the command, and, as I do, you’ll begin to wake up at your own pace, returning back to normal, feeling as refreshed as if you’d drunk a-an ice cold soda on a hot summer day, you’ll feel safe, relaxed, comfortable, c-completely at ease, a-and you’ll remember everything that occurred under trance c-clear as a crisp spring morning! 

You may start bringing yourself out of trance now.”

Tommy rocked back on his heels as he watched Darnold, hands clasped together and squeezing.

It’s not like he could just run now while he had the chance, avoid dealing with the consequences of this. He still had a duty to make sure Darnold came out of trance comfortably and safely. Leaving him alone would be just plain irresponsible, even if it was rather tempting right now.

“Hmm-“

Darnold shifted, slumping to one side and Tommy hurried to catch him before he fell off his seat. 

“A-ah, are you ok Dr Pepper?!”

“Ah- Tommy-“

Darnold sighed, head resting on his shoulder and Tommy realised just how close they were right now.

“Uh- um, sorry, sorry, this is improper um-“

“It’s ok. My fault for falling.”

“Are you, um, are you a-“

“Yes, I’m awake.”

Fuck,

“So uh, how- how was that, was that uh, enough p-proof for you?”

Tommy couldn’t back away even if he wanted, Darnold arms had wrapped around him tightly.

“Oh, yeah, it’s plenty, think I can whip up a trance flavoured soda in no time flat now. But-“

Oh here it comes.

“I think the two of us should uh, talk about what I said during that whole… experience.”

Tommy braced himself.

“I- I’m really sorry for-“

“You never said if you reciprocated Dr Coolatta.”

“-uh- p-pardon?”

“I mean, a thank you is nice and all, but, it’s not really an  _ answer _ per say.”

“... uh- what?”

He could feel Darnold stiffen in his arms slightly, and he sighed.

“I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like this but, well, now that the cats out of the bag and all, well, I figured it was worth a shot. I’m guessing it’s a no then-“

“N-no! I l-like you too!”

The effect that had on Darnold was instantaneous, his body relaxing back against Tommy.

“Really?”

“Really really, I-I um, I think you’re uh, nice, and u-uh intelligent and um… a- are you free after work?”

“Well- I did have a team fortress 2 session planned, but, I can reschedule. Is this a date?”

“Uh, yep! If- if you want it to be?”

It was clear the two of them weren’t super experienced at this kinda thing. That was ok. They could figure it out. 

“So, I-uh, um, my place, nine pm, how does that sound?”

“Sounds perfect! I’ll bring a crate of my experimental soda flavours, how about we watch a movie or something?”

“I-oh! Do you like Love Actually? We can watch a few episodes of that!”

Hypnosis may not have been magic, but, it brought the two of them together, and that’s all that mattered. 

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
